Allied Turn

The weather roll of ‘1’ means mud. The US 8th and 88th Inf XX’s arrive from the US. The Polish 1st Arm XX arrives from Britain. There are now 44 Allied XX’s in France. US: 3x Arm, 2x Abn, 10x Inf. British: 5x Arm, 1x Abn, 1x Mtn, 12x Inf. Canadian: 2x Arm, 2x Inf. Indian: 1x Mtn, 1x Inf. NZ: 1x Mech. French: 1x Mtn, 1x Inf. Polish: 1x Arm. The US rebuilds the 9th Inf XX, and replaces 2 c/m ants. The British rebuild the 3rd Inf XX and the 4th Art [xx], and replace a c/m ant. The US gives the Canadians and the Polish enough Arm RP’s to rebuild one of their Arm XX’s. The US replaces 1 air group and repairs 4. The British replace 1 air group and repair 6.

East of the Rhone very little changes in the Maritime Alps facing the Italians. In fact the Allied stacks remain in place around Grenoble, allowing a gap to open up between themselves and the retreating Italians. Only at Valence do the Allies cross the Isere River.

The Allies do advance up the west bank of the Rhone River, and over the mountain hexes of the Massif Central. The 15-pt Axis stack that could not retreat all the way into their main defense line is the target of the first Allied attack. The Allies mass the British 1st Arm XX, the NZ 2nd Mech XX, the Canadian 1st and 2nd Inf XX’s, and the British 43rd, 50th, and 51st Inf XX’s to attack this mountain hex from 5 sides. The Allies fly in a CAP of 11 fighter groups. The Germans react by flying in their own CAP of 8 fighters groups. In the combat phase the Allies fly in a GS mission of 40 air groups escorted by 4 fighter groups, which 4 of the Allied CAP joins. The German CAP intercepts the Allied GS mission, and the Allied escort kills 3, aborts 1, and returns 1. The surviving interceptors kill 2 and return 1 of the GS air groups. The Germans then fly in a DAS mission of 7 air groups, which the remaining 7 Allied CAP fighters intercept. They manage to kill 1 DAS air group. Allied AA of 7 manage to abort 1 and return 4 DAS air groups. At 5:1, -4 the Allies roll a ‘1’ for an AS, a lot of effort for no result.

The next Allied attack is against the German 2nd Para-Inf XX 2 hexes north of Clermont by the US 2nd Arm XX, the Canadian 4th Arm XX, the British Guards, 6th, and 11th Arm XX’s, and the Polish 1st Arm XX. The Allies fly in a CAP of 4 fighter groups. The Germans do not react. At 9:1, -3 the Allies roll a ‘2’ for a DR. The British Guards Arm XX advances.

The 3rd Allied attack is against a 9-pt stack sitting in bocage terrain by the US 101st Abn XX, the US 8th and 88th Inf XX’s, and the British 3rd Inf XX. The Allies fly in a CAP of 4 fighter groups. The Germans do not react. At 7:1, -3 the Allies roll a ‘1’ for a DR. The Allies advance the US 8th Inf XX into the bocage hex.

The 4th Allied attack is against a 15-pt stack 3 hexes northeast of Limoges by the US 3rd Arm XX and the US 3rd and 9th Inf XX’s. The Allies fly in a CAP of 4 fighter groups. The Germans do not react. The Allies fly in a GS mission of 16 air groups. At 5:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘4’ for a DR. The Allies advance the US 3rd Arm XX and 9th Inf XX. During exploitation the US 3rd Arm XX exploits 1 hex behind the German line.

The 5th Allied attack is against the FH PzG XX by the US 2nd Inf XX and the British 1st, 5th, and 78th Inf XX’s. The Allies fly in a CAP of 4 fighter groups. The Germans do not react. At 7:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘4’ for a DH, and the PzG XX is reduced. The Allies advance the British 78th Inf XX into the hex.

The 6th Allied attack is against a 9-pt stack just southwest of Poitiers by US 1st Arm XX, the Canadian 5th Arm XX, and the British 7th Arm XX. The Allies fly in a CAP of 4 fighter groups. The Germans do not react. At 6:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘3’ for a DR. The entire Allied stack advances adjacent to the southwest side of Poitiers. During exploitation the Canadian 5th Arm XX exploits adjacent to the west side of Poitiers, while the US 1st Arm XX exploits adjacent to the southeast side of Poitiers.

The final Allied attack is against a 10-pt stack just northeast of Cognac by the US 82nd Abn XX, the US 5th and 34th Inf XX, the British 53rd and 56th Inf XX, and the Indian 8th Inf XX. The Allies fly in a CAP of 4 fighter groups. The Germans do not react. At 9:1, -2 the Allies roll a ‘4’ for a DE. The Germans eliminate 2 small Static XX’s and 2 c/m ants. The Allies advance the US 34th Inf XX and British 56th Inf XX into the hex.

Axis Turn

The Germans veto the transfer of a PzG XX east. The Germans replace 4x Inf XX’s and 4x AA II’s. The Germans disband 2x small ET X’s. The Germans start construction of a ragged line of 7 forts from northwest of a mountain hex adjacent to the Swiss border until just southwest of the town of Moulins. The Germans replace 4 air groups and repair 3.

Little changes along the Italian front facing the Allies. They are defending 8 mountain hex with an average defense strength of 12.1 pts. They push an Alpine XX into German controlled France and rail a pair of Art III’s around Switzerland to help the Germans defend on the north side of the Rhone River where it curves east into Switzerland.

The 2 weak Italian Arm XX’s defend behind the Rhone River 2 hexes southwest and west of Geneva. The Germans defend the major city of Lyon with a14-pt stack, and the medium city of St. Etienne with a 23-pt stack. From St. Etienne the defense line runs straight to Clermont. The Germans remain on the west bank of the Allier River until northwest of the town of Vichy. From there the somewhat ragged German defense line runs northwest to Poitiers. The Axis player has to wonder if he is subconsciously following Hitler’s no retreat dictum as he doesn’t give up a single hex along two thirds of his defense line except the mountain hex southwest of St. Etienne that the Allies vainly tried to capture the turn before.

Northwest of the minor city of Poitiers the Germans reform their shattered defense line to head due west to the port fort in La Rochelle. From 2 hexes northwest of Montlucon to the Atlantic the Germans give up 12 hexes to the advancing Allied hordes. From north of the Rhone River to the Atlantic the Axis defense line is 27 hexes long and has an average defense strength of 15.9 pts.

Dec II VP Check

Former Axis Major Cities: Tunis, Bordeaux = 6
Former Axis Medium Cities: Tripoli, Grenoble, Toulouse = 3
Former Axis Naval Bases: Tripoli, Tunis, Bizerte, Sete, Bordeaux = 5
Net Ground Losses: 0
Net Air Losses: 0
Net Naval Losses: 0
Previous Total: 12.5 VP’s
New Total: 26.5 VP’s